Guinta Co-Sponsors Bi-Partisan Opioid, Heroin Abuse Bill

Today, U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-NH, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives to support H.R. 2805 – the Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education and Enforcement Act of 2015 – to provide new guidance and best practices to members of the medical community, reauthorize prescription drug monitoring programs critical to local law enforcement efforts, increase access to life-saving Naloxone and raise public, provider and patient awareness of opioid drugs, according to a press statement.

“Granite Staters know all too well the severity of our state’s drug epidemic,” Guinta said. “ Likewise, we also know how drug addiction does not discriminate. It’s an epidemic affecting families and individuals in every corner of our nation. We must act accordingly and we must act fast. I’m proud to join my colleagues in supporting this important legislation to assist and offer our victims, medical professionals and law enforcement officers the guidance and support they deserve. I will continue to build on my record fighting to combat our state’s heroin epidemic.”

Last year, deaths from heroin and illicit drug use exceeded auto-related deaths in the state of New Hampshire. And, in the past five years alone, overdoses in the Granite State have increased five-fold.

This month, Guinta had a bipartisan amendment to increase funding for drug courts unanimously passed and included in a House appropriations bill. Guinta also introduced the Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015 in April to provide protection to first responders educated in administering Narcan to reverse the effects of overdoses. Currently, Congressman Guinta is working on drafting a bipartisan bill to address our heroin epidemic. The bill is scheduled to be released this summer.

To read H.R. 2805, please click here.